Moral education & the ethic of care

Abstract

This thesis proposes that moral development, specifically teaching students to be caring and compassionate, should be a goal of high school education. The research sought evidence of moral education taught explicitly within the public high school system of Canada’s English-speaking provinces using four indicators: graduation requirements, provincial governments’ purposes of education, high school curricula and school division mission statements. Findings reveal that although departments of education and school boards express concern for students’ moral development in educational goals and supplementary programming, there is very little follow-through to the classroom and students. No graduation requirements or courses were found pertaining to moral education. Using key search terms it was also determined that any related curriculum content, embedded in other subjects, constitutes only minor portions of courses. Recommended is an increase in mandatory moral education at the high school level, focusing on interpersonal relations and the ethic of care.